It's the turn of the men's 110m hurdles as we take an event-by-event look back at the IAAF World Championships

The home crowd for the inaugural championships in Helsinki in 1983 regarded the 110m hurdles as one of the highlights as they had a genuine medal hope in Arto Bryggare, who won both his heat and semi-final. The favourite, though, was Greg Foster who had won his semi-final in a much faster 13.22.

The Finn led for four hurdles before the American eased past and seemed to be on his way to a clear win, but then smashed the last two hurdles and was thrown off balance and was lucky to stay upright, only just winning in 13.42 from Bryggare’s 13.46. Foster and Bryggare went on to finish second and third in the 1984 Olympics behind Roger Kingdom.

The American successfully defended his title in Rome in 1987, setting a championship record of 13.20 in his heat and then winning the final in 13.21. The other two medals went to two British 20-year-olds. Jon Ridgeon was perhaps surprisingly the silver medallist and was even closing on Foster over the last few hurdles, running 13.29 despite dislocating his toe. Colin Jackson, who only just scraped into the final, took bronze.

Eight years after winning his first gold, Foster became the first athlete to win three in any event when he won in Tokyo in 1991, but it was close as he shared the winning time of 13.06 with his team-mate Jack Pierce, who pushed him all the way.

Jackson won his heat in 13.25 but scratched from the semi-final, although Britain still won another medal through Tony Jarrett who clocked 13.25 himself to push future Olympic champion Mark McKoy down to fourth. Jarrett had run 13.23 in his semi-final to beat Foster.

A clear world No.1, Jackson lost his chance of glory in the 1992 Olympics and, after a disappointing hurdling display, struggled in seventh. However, in the 1993 Worlds he proved unbeatable, running a perfect final and winning in a world record 12.91 to beat the four-year-old record of Roger Kingdom. Less than a metre behind, Jarrett also had the race of his life and improved his PB from 13.13 to a staggering 13.00. Foster didn’t make the USA team, but America nevertheless made the podium as Pierce returned to take third in 13.12.

Jackson was injured for Gothenburg in 1995, but Jarrett was back and in form. After being fastest in the second round and semi-final, he ran a great final, clocking 13.04 and won his third medal but fell half a metre short of Allen Johnson’s 13.00 victory.

Kingdom, the 1984 and 1988 Olympic champion, won his only world championships medal in third ahead of Pierce, who took his fourth top-four placing.

Johnson retained his title with an easier victory in Athens in 1997. He won in a superb 12.93, which was the fifth fastest time in history and just missed the American record.

Jackson made a successful return to championship racing and ran his fastest time for three years of 13.05 to complete his set of medals in second. Igor Kovac surprisingly took bronze and won Slovakia’s first championship medal in any event.

Johnson missed out on a third title as he withdrew injured from the semi-finals. America also suffered disappointment with sub-13 world leader Mark Crear disqualified from his quarter-final. Gold went to 32-year-old Jackson, who thus won his fourth medal, 12 years after his first. He won in a controlled 13.04 to edge Cuban Anier Garcia’s Central American record of 13.07.

The first two times were identical in 2001 in Edmonton as Johnson won his third title and Olympic champion Garcia matched his medal from Seville. For the first time for 18 years, there were no British medals, but Dudley Dorival won Haiti’s first medal in any event.

In the ninth final, in Paris in 2003, the list of different winners remained at three as the 33-year-old Johnson won a record fourth title despite clipping every hurdle and he ran 13.12, the slowest winning time for 16 years. Terrence Trammell took second, but Liu Xiang won China’s first world track medal to deny Larry Wade an American clean sweep. Fifth-placer Chris Phillips, who was a fourth American due to Johnson receiving a wild card place, was later disqualified for a drugs violation.

Johnson returned for Helsinki in 2005 and was faster than in France with 13.10 but this time had to settle for bronze in a close finish. The stylish Frenchman Ladji Doucoure won in 13.07 with Olympic champion Liu improving to silver.

In Osaka in 2007, Liu completed his world championship set of medals with a fast win in 12.95 as Trammell was also inside 13 seconds. David Payne, who was a late replacement in the US team, excelled to take bronze in 13.02.

Ryan Brathwaite had finished last in his semi-final in Japan but was much improved by Berlin in 2009 and he won Barbados’s first world medal as he set a national record 13.14 to improve his semi-final time. Trammell won his fifth global silver medal just a hundredth back with Payne retaining his hold on the bronze. New world record-holder Dayron Robles failed to finish his semi-final.

Robles was first across the line in Daegu in 13.14 but was disqualified for impeding Liu, with whom he repeatedly clashed. Gold thus went to Jason Richardson in 13.16 with Liu upgraded to silver. Andy Turner just out-leaned an out-of-form David Oliver to win a surprise bronze by 0.008 of a second.

Oliver had disappointed in recent big events but he got it right in Moscow with a clear win in a world-leading 13.00 to win the USA’s ninth title at the event. William Sharman achieved his third successive top-five placing with 13.30, which left him 0.06 short of the medals. This was Britain’s 12th top-five placing and put the nation a clear second in the points table for this event.

110m hurdles

Year | Winner | Time | Top Brit
1983 Greg Foster (USA) 13.42 (13.22sf) 6th sf Mark Holtom 13.79
1987 Greg Foster (USA) 13.21 2nd Jon Ridgeon 13.29
1991 Greg Foster (USA) 13.06 3rd Tony Jarrett 13.25 1993 Colin Jackson (GBR) 12.91(WR) also 2nd Tony Jarrett 13.00
1995 Allen Johnson (USA) 13.00 2nd Tony Jarrett 13.04
1997 Allen Johnson (USA) 12.93 2nd Colin Jackson 13.05
1999 Colin Jackson (GBR) 13.04 Jackson
2001 Allen Johnson (USA) 13.04 Tony Jarrett DQ SF (13.64 ht)
2003 Allen Johnson (USA) 13.12 4th sf Robert Newton 13.62
2005 Ladji Doucoure (FRA) 13.07 6th ht Allen Scott 14.18
2007 Liu Xiang (CHN) 12.95 3rd sf Andy Turner 13.38 (13.27 ht)
2009 Ryan Brathwaite (TRN) 13.14 4th William Sharman 13.30
2011 Jason Richardson (USA) 13.16 (13.11ht) 3rd Andy Turner 13.44 (13.32 ht)
2013 David Oliver (USA) 13.00 5th William Sharman 13.30

Top points (8 for 1st etc)
1. USA 206.5
2. GBR 74.5
3. CHN 37
4. CUB 37
5. GER 23
6. FRA 21
7. CAN 12
8. JAM 10
9. RUS 9
10. BAR 8

» Find other event-by-event history features here